JOHN EDWARDS IS HOT, HOT, HOT FOR BARACK OBAMA AND USED THE DEMOCRATIC DEBATE ON SATURDAY TO PLEDGE HIS LOVE FOR OBAMA: "LET ME JUST SAY A QUICK WORD ABOUT THIS. YOU KNOW SENATOR OBAMA AND I HAVE DIFFERENCES." SOUNDING LIKE A SPOUSE TRYING TO COME OFF AS "I'M JUST LIKE YOU," EDWARDS INSISTED, "WE DO!" HE LOOKED AROUND FOR THE "AWE" FROM THE AUDIENCE THAT USED TO COME WHEN JOANIE WOULD SAY SOMETHING ABOUT LOVING CHACHI OR ROSS WOULD SAY SOMETHING ABOUT LOVING RACHEL.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS! HE SEEMED SHOCKED. AS IF THE NATIONAL ENQUIRER HAD JUST BEEN REFERENCED ON STAGE. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS? CALL THE CHURCH ELDERS!

WHEN REACHED FOR COMMENT TODAY AND ASKED IF BARACK OBAMA AND JOHN EDWARDS ARE IN LOVE, BARACK OBAMA'S CAMPAIGN SAID, "WE'RE NOT SAYING IT FIRST!" WHEN REACHED FOR COMMENT, JOHN EDWARDS' CAMPAIGN PUT THE CANDIDATE ON THE PHONE.

"OH MY MAN I LOVE HIM SO," JOHN-O SANG, "HE'LL NEVER KNOW. WHEN HE TAKES ME IN HIS ARMS . . ."

Starting with war resistance. Urar reposts the Freedom Socialist Party's 2008 outline and summary which notes, But, as we enter the eighth year of the new millennium, opportunities exist to fight back and to make real change! To borrow from the Asian Zodiac, the coming Year of the Rat will be a time of hard work and constant activity." FSP applies that to the ability to "build on our victories in 2007 some of them tangible, some of them gains in consciousness" and notes, "Lt. Ehren Watada is a bright voice among GI resisters and their families who are telling the military that it's immoral and illegal to fight in Iraq." This time last year, Lance Holter's essay on Watada was published at Peace Corps Online:

I learned about the courage of conviction last week when I meat (as a guest during a family dinner in Honolulu) with a courageous young American patriot. A leader who lives by example. An individual, who out of a decision of moral conscience, refuses to participate in a war that he believes (after much personal research) violates the U.S. Constitution, Geneva accords, Nuremberg principals, and the United Nations Charter. First Lieutenant Ehren Watada, a 28 year old U.S. Army artillery officer from Hawaii, has become the first active duty military officer publicly to oppose the war in Iraq. As a result of his act of conscience and challenging what we now know about the war in Iraq, Lt. Watada is facing military court martial at Ft. Lewis Washington this February 5, 2007. [. . .] Lt. Watada shared the following with me at our dinner, "I'm trying to send out to the American people of this country a message that the responsibility of ending this illegal and immoral war lies with the people of this country and holding their leader accountable because if they don't do anything nothing is going to happen."

In 1971, over one hundred members of Vietnam Veterans Against the War gathered in Detroit to share their stories with America. Atrocities like the My Lai massacre had ignited popular opposition to the war, but political and military leaders insisted that such crimes were isolated exceptions. The members of VVAW knew differently.Over three days in January, these soldiers testified on the systematic brutality they had seen visited upon the people of Vietnam. They called it the Winter Soldier investigation, after Thomas Paine's famous admonishing of the "summer soldier" who shirks his duty during difficult times. In a time of war and lies, the veterans who gathered in Detroit knew it was their duty to tell the truth.Over thirty years later, we find ourselves faced with a new war. But the lies are the same. Once again, American troops are sinking into increasingly bloody occupations. Once again, war crimes in places like Haditha, Fallujah, and Abu Ghraib have turned the public against the war. Once again, politicians and generals are blaming "a few bad apples" instead of examining the military policies that have destroyed Iraq and Afghanistan.Once again, our country needs Winter Soldiers.In March of 2008, Iraq Veterans Against the War will gather in our nation's capital to break the silence and hold our leaders accountable for these wars. We hope you'll join us, because yours is a story that every American needs to hear.Click here to sign a statement of support for Winter Soldier: Iraq & Afghanistan

March 13th through 16th are the dates for the Winter Soldier Iraq & Afghanistan Investigation.

We'll come back to IVAW later in the snapshot. Over the weekend, Iraq sometimes made the news. On Saturday, the New York Times managed to 'cover' the ongoing illegal war by ignoring it. The same morning, CNN reported:, "Two U.S. soldiers who died last month in Iraq were apparently shot to death by an Iraqi soldier during a combined U.S. and Iraqi Army operation, the U.S. military said." The two killed were Rowdy Inman and Benjamin Portell and we'll come back to Inman in a moment. Sunday, Richard A. Oppel Jr. and Stephen Farrell (New York Times) covered the topic quoting that the US military's December statement that "small arms fire during dismounted combat operations" despite the fact that the suspect "tried to flee, but he was apprehended after being identified by other Iraqi soldiers" which tells you that even when the release was put out on the December 26th deaths, it was known what had happened. On Saturday, the US military released another statement -- repeating ON SATURDAY -- and it noted, "Two US Soldiers killed during a combined Iraqi Army and CF operation in Ninewah province on Dec. 26, were allegedly shot by an Iraqi Soldier. For reasons that are as yet unknown, at least one Iraqi Army Soldier allegedly opened fire killing Capt. Rowdy Inman and Sgt. Benjamin Portell, both of whom were assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment." That statement was released on Saturday.

Why stress Saturday repeatedly? Though the Times didn't tell you, Friday was rather significant: the memorial for Rowdy Inman. Amanda Kim Stairrett (Killeen Daily Herald) reports on the service at the Harper-Talasek Funeral Home in Killen, Texas attended by his widow Shannon and their children Casey, Gary and Keeley, his parents Ann Denny and Tony Inman "and numerous friends and relatives . . . who filled the standing-room-only funeral home." It was 'nice' of the military brass to play clean up the day after the memorial service -- on an incident they knew about from the start. Oh, they knew, the family knew. Really? Based on what? Louis Median (The Bakersfield California) reports, "The friends and family of Sgt. Benjamin B. Portell learned the shocking details of the decorated soldier's death only hours after his moving funeral. His family received word late Friday night about an Iraqi soldier's betrayal of Portell's patrol, according to the Rev. Brian Murphy, executive pastor of RiverLakes Community Church where Portell worshipped." His widow Michelle, his parents Susan and Matt Portell found out after Friday's funeral service. After.

On December 26th, the US military knew how Inman and Portell had died. Parents, surviving spouses and other loved ones have been repeatedly lied to by the US military and every time supposedly it won't happen again. It keeps happening. The realities they learned after the services should have been passed on to them before. This is really basic, on the 26th both men are shot dead. The US military has a suspect in custody. At the earliest, the families learn what happened on the evening or night of Friday, January 4th, after the services for both men have taken place.